Priorities
by eli2abelle
Summary: I know what you're thinking. Money... Fame... The suit... But you're wrong. It's family. If it came to it, I would give my life for this dysfunctional family I have somehow become a part of. If it came to it, I would give my life for Peter. He means everything to me. ***DISCONTINUED***
1. Chapter 1

**Here's a little something I wrote a while back when I was bored.**

 **If you can find the time to drop me a comment it would be greatly appreciated :) It really motivates me to continue!**

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"Get him out of here, Stark!"

I didn't need to be told twice. Flipping my mask down over my face, I pull Peter into my arms and take off.

We've only been in the air for a few seconds before he yells something. Seeing that I haven't heard him, he gestures frantically below us, and I look down to see a group of men with guns lining us up in their sights.

I twist myself around so I'm between them and Peter as they start firing.

At first, I'm completely calm. They can't possibly get Peter, so I have no concerns.

Until a bullet gets lodged into the gap between my shoulder and back plates.

I falter but manage to regain my composure.

Another bullet hits the repulsor in my right foot, and another gets wedged behind my knee.

Now we're spinning.

Great.

I grip Peter tighter as the ground approaches.

This is going to hurt.

Thankfully, I'm under him when we hit the ground. Well, that's good for him. Not so good for me.

The impact knocks all the breath out of me, and I feel Peter torn from my grasp.

I yell his name seconds before the suit begins to roll, and I black out. I don't know how much time has passed before I come to.

The first thing I notice is that it's deathly quiet. No voices in my ear. No J.A.R.V.I.S asking me if I'm alright.

The second is that I can't breathe.

I fumble for the manual release on my mask for a few moments before it comes free, and I roll onto my side as I gasp for breath. _Peter._

Before I know what I'm doing, I'm on my feet, looking around for him. I spy a figure lying, unmoving, in the torn up grass a few hundred metres away. _No._ I start jogging towards him, and it quickly turns into a sprint. "No… no!" I throw myself to my knees at his side, my hands hovering uncertainly over his body. Eventually, I lay a hand on his shoulder. "Kid?"

Not getting a response, I gently roll him over onto his back.

He has blood running down his face from a bleeding nose, but his eyes remain closed.

I quickly look him over for any other injuries, but can't find any. "Peter?" I place a hand on his chest and feel the thumping of his heart against my hand. "Come on, kid. Don't do this to me." I don't know how long I stay like this before I hear someone yelling my name.

A few seconds later, someone runs up behind me.

"Tony!" A hand is placed on my shoulder, and I look up to see Steve's concerned face.

"I saw what happened. How is he?"

Before I can answer, I feel Peter move under my hand. I look back down at him as he opens his eyes.

"What? What happened? Is everyone okay?"

I hold him down as he tries to sit up. "Hey… take it easy."

He finally meets my gaze, and his eyes widen. "Mr Stark! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, kid."

Steve clears his throat. "It's over. We got the guys who shot you down. What happened up there?"

Peter tries to sit up again, and I let him. He starts to explain what happened, and I stand back, suddenly feeling sick.

"Tony?" I look up and see that Steve and Peter are both looking at me. "You good?" Steve asks as he stands and walks closer.

"Yeah." I'm starting to feel dizzy. "It's just… I think…" I hit the manual override button to open up my suit, and have only taken one step forwards before my knee buckles. The last thing I see is Steve lunging to catch me as I collapse, and everything goes dark.

* * *

I thought I turned my alarm off before I went to bed last night.

Obviously not, because I can hear it going off beside my bed, and it's starting to get on my nerves.

Still half asleep, I reach towards my bedside table.

Only touching air, I lean further.

Big mistake.

I try to regain my balance, but I'm already falling. _This is gonna hurt._ I hit the ground hard, and my shoulder screams in pain. Not me, though. I'm too shocked to do anything except lie there gasping.

"Mr Stark!"

"Tony!"

"What happened?"

"I'll get the nurse!"

Several pairs of hands are on me. Helping me sit up. Pulling me back onto the bed.

"Tony? Can you hear me?"

I slowly force my eyes open to see someone leaning over me. "Natasha?"

She pushes me back into the pillows. "Do that again and I'll shoot you myself," she threatens, but I can see a smile forming on her lips.

"Nice to see you too." I look over to see Steve standing beside me, arms crossed over his chest.

"You good?"

I nod. "Peter?"

He smiles. "Right as rain. The kid's invincible. What should have killed him gave him a bloody nose. He just went out to get the nurse."

I smile and nod, even though the pain in my shoulder is excruciating. "What-" I gesture to the bandages with my other hand, and he sits down on the edge of my bed.

"You were shot," he says slowly, watching me carefully for my reaction.

"Great."

"What have I told you about hiding injuries? You should have told me!"

I chuckle. "Relax, big guy. I didn't know. And it's just a shoulder. It's not like I could have died or anything."

Someone clears their throat, and I turn to see Bruce standing at the end of the bed. "I don't think the doctor expected you to be up and about so quickly, Tony," he says with a smirk.

Beside me, Steve chuckles.

"And," he continues. "It wasn't 'just a shoulder'."

I must look extremely confused. I certainly feel very confused. I follow his gaze and see that my leg is also wrapped up in the white fabric.

"Along with the bullet that entered, I believe, between your suit's arm and back plates, one managed to make its way into the gap at the back of your knee."

"Wait…" My brain is running a million miles an hour. "Am I-"

"No! The doctors believe that you will make a full recovery, but it is likely to take some time."

"How long?"

"Well, there are many factors to consider. And sometimes people can-"

"How long?" I repeat more forcefully.

He sighs. "If everything goes according to plan, it could take a few years for you to get it back to how it was before. But, as I was saying, some people are-"

I don't listen to the rest. I'm still processing the fact that I might not be able to walk again.

* * *

 **This is, what, my fourth fic in the last few days?** **As you can probably tell, I'm taking procrastination to a whole new level.**

 **I should be studying.** **I really should.** **Oh well.** **Social studies essays can wait.**

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 **Anyway, how was _that_? Did you like it?**

 **I feel like I should carry on and make this into a proper story... but I really can't be bothered sitting in front of a blank screen any longer than necessary.**

 **Do _you_ think I should continue?**

 **Leave a review telling me what I could do in a future chapter!**


	2. Author's Note

**Hey Guys!**

 **As hard as it is to say, I will not be continuing with this story.**

 **It's not that I don't like it... in fact, I love it!**

 **I have made the decision to stop writing on this site and, instead, move to Wattpad.**

 **It's a fresh start for me. I have published some good (and some not so good) stories on this site, but have decided that I will not be transferring any of them over. I'm going to try to publish even better material, as well as some of my own original works!**

 **I've already posted TWO new Avengers fanfics (whaaaat?!) if you want to check them out (I'm under the same username)!**

 **Thank you all for encouraging me to have the confidence to put myself out there. It's been a pleasure to write for you.**

 **~ eli2abelle**


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